Winter Solstice

We just had the Winter Solstice - the longest night of the year.

This is a time of self-reflection, of looking inward, of self-assessment. Consider what has gone well this year, and consider what has been challenging. Consider what you have done well, and where you fell short of your best self. This is the natural energy flow of this time of year.

Can you do this without self-judgment? Without self-recrimination? Because the dominant paradigm is one of performance and achievement, it is easy for this type of self-inquiry to turn harsh. Please do not.

We do our best, often we do well, and sometimes we fall short. This is the art of being human.

Energetically, the key is to hold your year-end inquiry in a field of self-love and compassion.

Being human isn't about getting it right all the time; it is about being able to celebrate both our achievements and our mistakes from a place of love, compassion, and learning.

Soften and relax into the shadow places within.
Kirstin Lindquist

THE LONGEST NIGHT

We all tell ourselves stories
about grief to come.
Anticipating the dark
we think, how can I live
without the sun I turn toward?
We wrest what gifts we can
from the dying days.
One morning we wake
and the doorway we most dreaded
is behind us.
The ice may not recede
for months to come
but day by day
may there be more light.

By Rabbi Rachel Barenblat